Extrusion mold



J. w. MAczKLIN EXTRUSION MOLD May 2, 1939.

, 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. l, 1936 figJ May 2, 1939. J. w. MACKLIN 2,156,396

EXTRUSION MOLD Filed Feb. l, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NIH*- xw! will! :III

fig. 2A f Mzf/LM Patented May 2, 14,939

- PATENTOFFICE.

2,156,396 Ex'rRUsloN Motu Justin W. Macklin, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Thermo-Plastics, Incorporated, St. Clair, Mich., a corporation of Application February `1', 1936, serial No. 61,864

9 Claims.

This 'invention relates to an improvement in a positive injection typ'e mold for applying a thin, uniform, veneer of thermoplastic material preferably in the nature'of cellulose acetate, to the surface of a preformed article by employing separate heating and injecting chambers arranged to cooperate with each other to produce av more satisfactory article.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a mold having a relatively large unitary cavity which may be completely filled in a much shorter time cycle than has heretofore been accomplished. A

Another object of the invention is to provide a mold having'cavity walls which may be maintained at a uniform temperature throughout thc operating cycle.

Another object of the invention is to provide an injection type mold having an auxiliary heating chamber connected through a transverse passage to a final heating and injecting chamber.

Another object is to provide a mold for applying thermoplastic material to a framework of an article so constructed that its surface is shaped to approximate that of the completed article, and whereby the thermoplastic material may be relatively thin.

Av further object is to carry out an improved method of covering a metallic framework or insert with plastic composition by steps comprising the preparation of a rigid frame, securing the frame in a mold cavity at a uniform space from the surface of the cavity, forcing the. plastic material into the mold cavity under extremely high pressures so that the material iiows around the frame and lls the space intermediate the frame and the mold cavity, and. is causedl to weld in all directions of its surface.

Another object is to provide a mold for applying thermoplastic material to a preformed article, the mold being constructed so as to concentrate the thermal uid at the desired locathe present mold applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the moldv showing the arrangement of cylinders with respectto the cavity. l

In the drawings, the mold parts illustrated are for a steering wheel in which is an annular rim I, carriedon the series of sets of wirey spokes y2,l aflixedto the rim and to a hub as at 3. 'I'his is a banjo type'wheel which is illustrated in the application of Harry A. Husted, Serial No. 52,157, filed November 29, 1935.

While the drawings .illustrate 'the mold for covering the steering wheel, it is apparent that other objects such as door handles, head light shells, hub caps, and other hardware, may be' covered in exactly the same manner.

The mold members are adapted to cover the annulus evenly with thermoplastic material as at 5, and inwardly for a distance as at I along the spokes, the cavities being provided in hardened members Il) and I2 in the mold members I4 and 'Suitable heating and cooling passages, the purpose of which is hereinafter more fully described- .in connection with thisparticular operation, are indicated as comprising inlet pipesl and I9 which connect with passages asv at 20 and 2|, in the members I and I2 respectively. The mold members III and I2 are carried on platens 24 'and 25 suitably mounted for relative movement in a press, which are shown provided with one or more plastic receiving and extruding cylinders 21 and 28 respectively. Into these cylinders are fitted pistons 29 and 30. v

The walls of the cylinders are provided with steam'jackets 32 and 33 surrounded by passages 34 and 35 respectively through which the thermal fluid is` conducted. The pistons 29 and 30 are also carried on movable plunger heads or platenlike members 40 and 4I capable of movement relative to each other and to the platens 24 and 25.

Leading to the mold cavity or annulus to be coated with the thermoplastic from each of the communicating aligned passages 44 and 45 which connect the cylinders 21 and 28 is a gate as at 46.

As stated, the mold members `I4 and I5 are mountedon the platens 24 and 25 respectively and are preferably removably held thereto by suitable clamps `and bolts as indicated at 4l and 48.

Different mold members for applying cellulose acetate to articles of hardware having a hollow or solid core, and other ornamental fixtures, may be secured to the platens 24 and 25. Thus the same platens carrying the preheating and injection cylinders may be employed for producing various articles. Y

In operation the upper cylinders 21 are rst iilled with material which is allowed to absorb just enough heat to become plastic. The members I4 and l5 are then brought tightly together and closely held under suitable pressure of say several hundred tons. The pistons 29 are next brought inwardly upon the heated material which is urged downwardly into the cylinders 28 thru the aligned passages 44 and 45. The lower cylinders 28 now being lled with plastic material, the heating therein is continued. The members 24 and 25 may now be moved apart to separate the molds I4 and i5 an amount sufficient so thatthe overflow or flash if any, in the gates 46 and the mold cavities may be removed.

Additional material is next introduced into the cylinders 21 and the mold members again brought tightly together and held by a pressure of several hundred tons. The lower pistons 30 are now moved upwardly while the pistons 29 are held stationary, thus forcing the material in the passages 44 and 45, now somewhat chilled and perhaps hardened, into the upper cylinders, leaving a free and unobstructed duct thru the passage 45 and gate 46 to the annulus.

Pressure on the plates 4I` and injection pistons 30 is lmaintained until the material completely fills the cavity and surrounds the core insert.

Further pressure causes the plastic to unite and Weld together forming a dense unitary coating around the article. Thus the material completely envelopes the core and depends on the integral Welding of the` particles of material for its adhesion thereto.

This process is an improvement in the method for molding thermoplastic articles by injection, originally shown, described and claimed in a prior application Serial No. 736,484, filed July 23, 1934, and in Patent No. 2,043,584, issued June 9, 1936. 'In the above application and patent, the temperatures employed for rendering the cellulose acetate material plastic were given as from 215 F. to 250 F. In the present application, however, for suitable operation, temperatures suicient to vrender the material plastic are employed in the primary heating cylinders'21, and this material is then heated to a considerably higher temperature in the secondary cylinders 28.

Hydraulic housings for creating pressure on the platens and plunger head 24 and 40 are indicated at 50 and 52 and they may be of any conventional design.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A method of molding an article of thermoa passage to a second heating chamber of higher temperature and then forcing the plastic' material from the second heating chamber under high pressure back into the passage and out through a gate to a closed mold cavity of a temperature sufficient to solidify the material.

2. An injection type mold for producing articles of thermoplastic material comprising separable mold blocks having an article forming cavity, meanscontrolling. the temperature of the cavity, a primary heating cylinder in one mold block, a piston associated with the primary heating cylinder, a secondary heating cylinder and passage connecting the primary and secondary heating cylinders and a gate at the parting line of the mold blocks connecting the passage with the cavity. Y

3. A process of molding articles of thermoplastic materials in a mold cavity which comprises heating the material in a primary heating chamber, ejecting the material therefrom and into a secondary heating chamber for charging the secondary heating chamber, then recharging and sealing the primary chamber, and then increasing the pressure in the secondary chamber while said chambers are connected to each other and to the gate of the mold cavity to inject the material into the cavity.

4. An injection type mold for producing articles of thermoplastic material comprising separable mold blocks having an article forming cavity, thermal uidconducting passages in close proximity with the cavity, a primary heating cylinder and an associated piston in one mold block, said primary heating cylinder .receiving a charge of thermoplastic material to acquire flowing characteristics, a secondaryheating cylinder and an associated piston in the other mold block, a transfer passageconnecting the primary and secondary heating cylinders, and a gate between the mold blocks connecting the cavity with the trans- `fer passage.

5. An injection type mold for making articles of thermoplastic material comprising a pair of separable mold members having recesses defining a mold cavity, a primary heating chamber, a secondary heating chamber, a passage connecting said primary and secondary heating chambers, and a gate leading from the passage to the caivty.

6. An injection type mold for molding an article of thermoplastic material comprising separable mold sections having abutting faces, recesses in the faces dening a cavity, a primary heating chamber in one mold section, a secondary heating chamber in the other section,A a duct connecting the primary and secondary chambers, a gate between the abutting faces connecting the duct with the cavity, means in the primary heating chamber for transferring thermoplastic material to the secondary chamber, and means in the secondary chamber for forcing the material therefrom through the duct and gate' into the cavity.

7. An injection type mold for molding an article of thermoplastic material comprising separable mold sections having surfaces in the abutting facesdening a mold cavity, a primary heating chamber in one section and a secondary heating chamber in the other section, a passage connecting said chambers, a gate between the sections connecting the passage and cavity, pressure means for transferring a charge of thermoplastic material from the primary to the secondary chamber, and further pressure means for transferring the charge from the secondary chamber back-through the passage to the gate and into the cavity while the chambers are in direct pressure communication with each other.

8. A mold for molding an articleof thermoplastic material comprisingseparable mold sections having registering recesses dening a mold means for moving the plunger and piston concurrently ineexlresponding directions, and further means for moving said plunger and piston relatively in opposed directions.

9. The method of molding an article of thermoplasticmaterial comprising the steps of heating thermoplastic material in a preheating chamber to render the material plastic, mechanically expelling heated thermoplastic material fromthe 'preheating chamber through a passage into a second heating chamber of higher temperature,

10 whereby a portion of the material remains in the passage, then expelling the material from the second heating chamber through a gate into a mold cavity .and into said passage, thereby forcing thermoplastic material in the passage back into the preheating chamber and substantially al1 of the material in the second heating chamber through the gate into the mold cavity of proper temperature to solidify the material. 

